Backpacker Magazine’s annual spring gear guide just hit the newsstands, and SCARPA was once again honored to earn another strong endorsement for its footwear from one of the most core magazines (and probably the most rigorous testing process) in the industry, this time for the new Terra (men’s) and Luna (women’s) hiking/backpacking boots.

The Terra and Luna are boots designed for light hiking or lighter-load backpacking – places where hikers can benefit from all-leather, Gore-Tex protection. And there are lots of those places, which explains why this boot resonated not just with Backpacker, but with a lot of SCARPA’s retailers.

Despite featuring tongue patterns for maximum comfort and quick break-in, these two boots combine ‘one-piece’ leather construction (though not ‘officially’ one-piece… there are very few seams that will see abuse like most patterened hiking boots) with a cushy midsole and a design that’s meant so hikers can pull them out of the box and hit the trail… store to trail.

In other words, classic construction and solid protection in a package that has virtually no break-in.

On the benefits side, that translates to a nice combo of durability thanks to the ‘one-piece’ design on the upper and comfort thanks to a well-designed tongue, a cushiony, not-too-stiff PU midsole and a well-crafted Nubuck leather cuff that offers multi-directional ankle flex with good support.

And indeed, one of only 15 shoes or boots profiled in this year’s Backpacker gear guide, the Terra and Luna earned accolades from the editors for ‘cushy comfort.’ And that makes them great choices whether someone’s looking for a protective boot to hit the trail right away or their first pair of full-conditions hiking boots.

“I was never in a rush to get these boots off my feet, even at the end of long, hard days,” one Backpacker tester said.